Responses: okay, I owe you all an apology. Charlie works with the dragons,
by the way he was transferred to study serpent dragons in china, and Bill
is the Gringott's curse breaker. A thousand billion apologies.
Zane Cobalt, the Muggle-Born Slytherin
Near Death
Zane came to a tumbling stop in a heap. He was on a cold stone floor. As his head stopped spinning, Zane looked around. Tall columns supported the ceiling, which was not visible in the gloom. The columns were carved to look like snakes. At the far ends were a door and a statue of a man he had seen somewhere before. At the other end was a heavy iron door. It stood open, but in the gloom before it stood a woman. She was thin and old. Both were evident on her face. "are you sure master?" she asked someone Zane could not see.
"Yes," boomed a voice from behind. "That is the boy. Destroy him now."
"What's going on?" Zane asked as he began to rise.
"Just the end of a legacy of shame," answered the woman.
Zane reached for his wand, but the woman cast her spell before he had the chance. "EXPELLIMIARTE!" Zane was knocked backwards and his wand flew out of his hand to the ground. the woman caught the wand and grinned a frightening and twisted grin. "Shall I sire?" she asked the person behind her.
"Yes, it would be appropriate that my wand end this all. But first, make him scream. Imagine, a Mudblood in my ancestor's house. It's a travesty."
"As you wish m'lord," she said, savoring the moment. She aimed the Zane's wand at Zane and called out, "CRUCIO!"
Zane had never felt anything like the pain he was feeling now. It shot through his whole body. He screamed loud and long the scream only this spell could elicit; the scream of the greatest agony. She waited a moment, and then hit him with the spell again, and again he screamed. He tried to focus his mind. He tried to draw it away from the pain, but there was nothing in this new world of darkness and stone, but this pain. Then in one of the pauses, his body gave in. he no longer tried to stand, he didn't even try to move. He just lay prone. A wicked smirk crossed the woman's face.
Then something happened. Zane felt new strength enter his body. Then he heard a voice, low and soft, like someone whispering in his ear. It said, "I'll take it from here kid, you relax." Then his body stood. Zane thought of it just that way. 'His body stood' but he never gave the command. It stood and looked straight at the woman. Her face was covered in shock and then in hatred. She looked at him and began to cast again, but Zane's body beat her to it. Zane's body shoved his palm towards her and called out "Expellimiarte!" as both wands flew from her hands, Zane's body leapt, turned a flip in mid-air, while catching both and landed with a spin to face her, wand at the ready. As her eyes widened, Zane's mouth called out, "Stupefy!" A red bolt shot out and slammed straight into the woman. She fell to the ground a few feet back.
Zane's body stood and looked into the gloom where the voice had come from. Zane couldn't see anyone there, but the voice called out all the same, "You haven't won. You've just delayed the inevitable once again. I will always be. I will always return!"
Zane's mouth, still without orders from Zane, responded, "Then so will I. even if all I do is delay you, it is another day those I love live free."
"This isn't over," growled the shadowed voice. "This will never be over." With that he muttered a spell Zane couldn't hear and then a long, large, dark shadow swallowed the woman, and the receded.
Zane suddenly felt the strength he had suddenly received, leave him just as quickly as it had come. He collapsed and lay prone on the floor. Then he saw a figure before him. It was grainy, as if her were made of sand or dust, or simply not truly there. The figure was tall and lean. He wore round black glasses and had a mark on his forehead just like Zane's birthmark. It looked like a scar. His green eyes sparkled from behind the glasses as he said, "C'mon kid. You gotta get through that door to the pipes, or they may never find ya."
"Who . . . What?" Zane stammered to complete a coherent thought. "What the hell are you?"
"Me?" the figure responded, "Just think of me as a guardian angel."
"Why did you get here when you did?" Zane asked as he started crawling as the "angel" had instructed.
"Actually," he responded with a smile, "I've always been here. and I always will be there. But you don't need me. You are strong enough to protect yourself."
"But . . ." Zane began to ask, but the figure waved good-bye and seemed to disintegrate like sand in the wind. Zane continued to crawl in the direction the "angel" had pointed. He was confused beyond all belief, but he was not giving in. he couldn't raise himself, but he could crawl; slowly. It was a few hours later when he finally reached a dead end. He had the strength to stand by now, but he was still shuffling. He leaned against the rocks at the bottom of the pipes. "Great," Zane thought. "Now what?"
That was when he heard a thunderous explosion in one of the upward pipes. Then debris fell down the pipe in the center. Finally a voice called down the pipe. "HELLO! ANYONE DOWN THERE?"
"I'M HERE!" called Zane.
"I'M COMIN' DOWN FOR YA. HOLD ON!" called the voice from above.
After a few seconds a rope fell from the pipe to the ground before him. Then a few minutes later a figure appeared, repelling on the rope. When he reached the ground, he disconnected, and walked over to Zane. Zane saw his red hair and said, "Weasly," with a faint smile.
"Yup," said the man. "My name's Ron. I expect you know one of my nieces or nephews. You must be Zane right?" he asked.
"Yeah. I know Shelly," he filled in.
"Figures. Gin's been tellin' me all year about how she is so amazed her little girl made friends with a Slythrin, no offence."
Zane smiled. "None taken." After saying that Zane promptly fainted dead away.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!111
When Zane awoke he was in the hospital wing. His eyes fluttered open to see a very unhappy Madam Pomfrey talking to Prof. McGonagall and Prof. Snape. "I couldn't believe it," she yelled at them. "I performed the test five times to be sure."
"and you are?" asked Prof. Snape.
"Positive," she said firmly. "The boy was placed under the cruciatus curse no less then five times."
"Unbelievable," Prof. McGonagall gasped. "And Mr. Weasly said that he was holding a coherent conversation before he fainted. To keep his wits about him under that kind of torture . . ." she paused, "The boy must have a guardian angel."
"Truly lucky," Prof. Snape said in a suspicious tone, "That he knew to head toward the pipes, and that he was there when Mr. Weasly opened the Chamber, and that he is alive after all of that. Quite lucky indeed. The kind of luck I have only seen one other student show."
Prof. McGonagall gave him a stern look. "Severus, this one is Slytherin. He couldn't possible have anything to do with him."
"I know, but I did genuinely object to the way the boy flouted the rules, simply because he was lucky enough to live through the consequences."
The door at the end opened, and Prof. McGonagall stuck her head in. "Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey?" she said. "They were wondering if they could see him now."
"Not until he wakes up," decreed Madam Pomfrey.
"But I am up," Zane finally spoke.
Zane Cobalt, the Muggle-Born Slytherin
Near Death
Zane came to a tumbling stop in a heap. He was on a cold stone floor. As his head stopped spinning, Zane looked around. Tall columns supported the ceiling, which was not visible in the gloom. The columns were carved to look like snakes. At the far ends were a door and a statue of a man he had seen somewhere before. At the other end was a heavy iron door. It stood open, but in the gloom before it stood a woman. She was thin and old. Both were evident on her face. "are you sure master?" she asked someone Zane could not see.
"Yes," boomed a voice from behind. "That is the boy. Destroy him now."
"What's going on?" Zane asked as he began to rise.
"Just the end of a legacy of shame," answered the woman.
Zane reached for his wand, but the woman cast her spell before he had the chance. "EXPELLIMIARTE!" Zane was knocked backwards and his wand flew out of his hand to the ground. the woman caught the wand and grinned a frightening and twisted grin. "Shall I sire?" she asked the person behind her.
"Yes, it would be appropriate that my wand end this all. But first, make him scream. Imagine, a Mudblood in my ancestor's house. It's a travesty."
"As you wish m'lord," she said, savoring the moment. She aimed the Zane's wand at Zane and called out, "CRUCIO!"
Zane had never felt anything like the pain he was feeling now. It shot through his whole body. He screamed loud and long the scream only this spell could elicit; the scream of the greatest agony. She waited a moment, and then hit him with the spell again, and again he screamed. He tried to focus his mind. He tried to draw it away from the pain, but there was nothing in this new world of darkness and stone, but this pain. Then in one of the pauses, his body gave in. he no longer tried to stand, he didn't even try to move. He just lay prone. A wicked smirk crossed the woman's face.
Then something happened. Zane felt new strength enter his body. Then he heard a voice, low and soft, like someone whispering in his ear. It said, "I'll take it from here kid, you relax." Then his body stood. Zane thought of it just that way. 'His body stood' but he never gave the command. It stood and looked straight at the woman. Her face was covered in shock and then in hatred. She looked at him and began to cast again, but Zane's body beat her to it. Zane's body shoved his palm towards her and called out "Expellimiarte!" as both wands flew from her hands, Zane's body leapt, turned a flip in mid-air, while catching both and landed with a spin to face her, wand at the ready. As her eyes widened, Zane's mouth called out, "Stupefy!" A red bolt shot out and slammed straight into the woman. She fell to the ground a few feet back.
Zane's body stood and looked into the gloom where the voice had come from. Zane couldn't see anyone there, but the voice called out all the same, "You haven't won. You've just delayed the inevitable once again. I will always be. I will always return!"
Zane's mouth, still without orders from Zane, responded, "Then so will I. even if all I do is delay you, it is another day those I love live free."
"This isn't over," growled the shadowed voice. "This will never be over." With that he muttered a spell Zane couldn't hear and then a long, large, dark shadow swallowed the woman, and the receded.
Zane suddenly felt the strength he had suddenly received, leave him just as quickly as it had come. He collapsed and lay prone on the floor. Then he saw a figure before him. It was grainy, as if her were made of sand or dust, or simply not truly there. The figure was tall and lean. He wore round black glasses and had a mark on his forehead just like Zane's birthmark. It looked like a scar. His green eyes sparkled from behind the glasses as he said, "C'mon kid. You gotta get through that door to the pipes, or they may never find ya."
"Who . . . What?" Zane stammered to complete a coherent thought. "What the hell are you?"
"Me?" the figure responded, "Just think of me as a guardian angel."
"Why did you get here when you did?" Zane asked as he started crawling as the "angel" had instructed.
"Actually," he responded with a smile, "I've always been here. and I always will be there. But you don't need me. You are strong enough to protect yourself."
"But . . ." Zane began to ask, but the figure waved good-bye and seemed to disintegrate like sand in the wind. Zane continued to crawl in the direction the "angel" had pointed. He was confused beyond all belief, but he was not giving in. he couldn't raise himself, but he could crawl; slowly. It was a few hours later when he finally reached a dead end. He had the strength to stand by now, but he was still shuffling. He leaned against the rocks at the bottom of the pipes. "Great," Zane thought. "Now what?"
That was when he heard a thunderous explosion in one of the upward pipes. Then debris fell down the pipe in the center. Finally a voice called down the pipe. "HELLO! ANYONE DOWN THERE?"
"I'M HERE!" called Zane.
"I'M COMIN' DOWN FOR YA. HOLD ON!" called the voice from above.
After a few seconds a rope fell from the pipe to the ground before him. Then a few minutes later a figure appeared, repelling on the rope. When he reached the ground, he disconnected, and walked over to Zane. Zane saw his red hair and said, "Weasly," with a faint smile.
"Yup," said the man. "My name's Ron. I expect you know one of my nieces or nephews. You must be Zane right?" he asked.
"Yeah. I know Shelly," he filled in.
"Figures. Gin's been tellin' me all year about how she is so amazed her little girl made friends with a Slythrin, no offence."
Zane smiled. "None taken." After saying that Zane promptly fainted dead away.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!111
When Zane awoke he was in the hospital wing. His eyes fluttered open to see a very unhappy Madam Pomfrey talking to Prof. McGonagall and Prof. Snape. "I couldn't believe it," she yelled at them. "I performed the test five times to be sure."
"and you are?" asked Prof. Snape.
"Positive," she said firmly. "The boy was placed under the cruciatus curse no less then five times."
"Unbelievable," Prof. McGonagall gasped. "And Mr. Weasly said that he was holding a coherent conversation before he fainted. To keep his wits about him under that kind of torture . . ." she paused, "The boy must have a guardian angel."
"Truly lucky," Prof. Snape said in a suspicious tone, "That he knew to head toward the pipes, and that he was there when Mr. Weasly opened the Chamber, and that he is alive after all of that. Quite lucky indeed. The kind of luck I have only seen one other student show."
Prof. McGonagall gave him a stern look. "Severus, this one is Slytherin. He couldn't possible have anything to do with him."
"I know, but I did genuinely object to the way the boy flouted the rules, simply because he was lucky enough to live through the consequences."
The door at the end opened, and Prof. McGonagall stuck her head in. "Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey?" she said. "They were wondering if they could see him now."
"Not until he wakes up," decreed Madam Pomfrey.
"But I am up," Zane finally spoke.